


Could You Forgive Me?

by engemoui



Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: A courtroom scene?, Angst, Betrayal, Gen, M/M, Shinou is sus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28366491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/engemoui/pseuds/engemoui
Summary: Post novel 17.  Upon returning from the prison in Darco, Yuuri can't hide from the political fallout he caused by sneaking off to Seisakoku and bringing Conrad home after months of being an assumed traitor.  Adding to the trouble, the newly resurrected Shinou has plans for the Forbidden Boxes and Wolfram has no choice but to obey them - even though they go directly against Yuuri's wishes.
Relationships: Wolfram von Bielefeld/Shibuya Yuuri
Comments: 23
Kudos: 41





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is based off of novel canon, not the anime. I've gotten to the point where I kinda hate the anime ^^;
> 
> Important differences:  
> -Conrad never comes back to Shin Makoku. He's on his way back when the last novel concludes, but never sets foot there.  
> -The boxes are never gathered together. In fact, it's implied the Great Sage took two boxes to Earth to keep them away from Shinou. Also they're half-brothers.  
> -Saralegui has a completely different arc complete with a twin brother, an underground slave rebellion, Alazon abusing him and dying, and Jozak having bad things happen to him.

Our boat is about to dock at a port in the Bielefeld territory. It’s the first time I’m seeing this place. The architecture is mostly the same as in the capital — European houses like out of a fantasy novel — but there is a bit more ornamentation in odd places like under the roofs and around street lamps. Beyond the city, I can see rolling green hills and vineyards stretching out into the horizon. Wolf’s descriptions do not do this whimsical atmosphere justice.

I grip the railings in excitement, ready to be home and on solid ground. Who would have thought I would be so excited to come back to my kingdom a few months ago? Now, however, the corners of my eyes are burning with excitement and joy. I finally understand those men in movies who fall to their knees and kiss the ground when they come home after a long journey. Especially since this time it really did seem like I wouldn’t survive to make it back.

And then there’s someone else here who should be excited to come home.

Lord Weller, however, has been quiet and pensive these last few days, although he will always smile when he catches me staring. Now he stands far enough away from me to be considered an opposite end of the ship watching the approaching coastline with an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face reminiscent of his older brother’s. When I asked yesterday and earlier today what was wrong he replied, “It is an honor to be allowed this opportunity to come home, Your Majesty,” and when I corrected him on my name, he chuckled and said, “Of course,” and dropped the subject.

“So Shibuya, this is the territory of that fiance of yours, right? What can you tell me about it?” Murata asks.

“Eh, even if you ask, I’ve never been here. Wolf always says ‘It’s beautiful this time of year,’ but he says that every month.”

“You haven’t visited all your territories?”

“Was I supposed to?”

Murata lets out an exaggerated sigh. “So you ran all the way around the world, but didn’t tour your own kingdom. How unfortunate the mazoku are.”

“Hey!”

But he isn’t wrong. I have always wondered whether the mazoku would be better off with someone like Gwendal leading the country, but lately there’s a part of me that rebels against that idea. Maybe Murata is right and I have started to cling to my power.

While the ship docks, I catch a familiar honey blonde head dressed in blue at the head of the crowd and my spirits soar for a moment before I realize it’s not Wolf. This man is much taller and looks to be around his mid-thirties. While the military clothes he’s wearing are nearly identical to the ones Wolfram wears to formal events, this man has a cape hanging off one shoulder that I can’t picture on Wolf at all. Who is he?

Somehow knowing what I’m thinking, Conrad wanders over and leans in to tell me that this is Wolfram’s uncle, Lord von Bielefeld Waltorana, and the current head of the Bielefeld territory.

“He governs fairly and his territory prospers, but Your Majesty would do well to act as properly as possible when speaking with him. He is a man who holds appearances rather highly.”

“It’s Yuuri, man-who-named-me.”

The smile he gives me is strained.

The man called Waltorana bears a strong resemblance to Wolfram with the exceptions of his hair being straighter and his face being longer and more angular. As soon as I start to descend the ramp flanked by Gwendal and Chevalier, who has unfortunately fallen right back into Butler Mode, he and what may be his attendants bow their heads in an embarrassing show of respect.

Now that Waltorana has bowed to me, I finally recognize the top of his head from my disastrous coronation. That is the only interaction the two of us have had. Wolf acts as the territory representative in the capital so there’s never been a need to meet with him personally before. This might explain the displeased look on the man’s face.

“Welcome home, Your Majesty. I am truly humbled that you would choose our territory to make your return. I trust Your Majesty is uninjured from your journeys?”

His voice sounds anything but humbled and the way he says _journeys_ makes it obvious he disapproves of me leaving for Seisakoku. I suppose that’s to be expected since he and the other nobles decided I should stay.

“Ah, yeah. Sorry for worrying everyone! You don’t have to bow to me though! I won’t be offended.”

I could see him frown even with his head downcast, but when he straightened up his face was a perfect neutral mask.

“Your Majesty is too kind.” He gestures to the side. “We have arranged for your safe transport back to Blood Pledge castle. I trust the accommodations will be more than sufficient.”

There is a carriage waiting off to the side decorated in elaborate gold trim that extends all the way to the horses’ reins.

Among the various soldiers stationed around the carriage is the blonde I’ve been looking forward to seeing. For some reason, he isn’t coming over to greet me even after I raise an arm to wave. No reaction.

I mumble my apologies to Waltorana before jogging over to Wolfram. His gaze moves behind me for a moment before settling back on me.

“Wolf, is something wrong? Are you mad?”

He looks affronted. “Why would I be mad? The Maou has finally returned to his kingdom.” 

He’s really mad.

Gwendal moves to speak with Waltorana, drawing him out of earshot. The man casts a glance in our direction before something Gwen says catches his attention and his head snaps around. The small shout he lets out is barely audible.

“Did you finally realize you have a duty to your people?” Wolfram asks. He crosses his arms and puts on a disappointed frown, taking his turn at emulating the eldest of the three mazoku brothers.

“I did. It’s really good to be home.”

The honest admission throws him off and he gets flustered. “Well, that’s good. You shouldn’t be running off every five minutes to solve some other country’s problems when your people need you here. And what took you so long to come back home if you never went back to Earth? I’m sure you caused Big Brother all sorts of problems out there!”

The familiar criticisms bring a smile to my face. I’ve missed this so much it hurts.

“Hey, what’s with that weird look?” he asks.

I shook my head. “Nothing. Actually, Wolf- huh, that’s weird.”

I stop mid-sentence when I turn around and see Murata and Conrad have not followed Gwen and I off the boat. They aren’t standing on the deck either.

“Where did Murata and Conrad go?”

“Conrart is here?” Wolfram asks. His eyes narrow and an animosity takes over his expression. “That fool has the worst timing.”

“Wait! He’s home for good now! He’s not with Big Shimaron anymore. I mean, he might need to go back to take care of a few loose ends, but he’s really coming home.”

I would think that the youngest brother would be overjoyed by this news seeing as how the two of them seemed to be getting along lately, but there is nothing but worry on his pretty face.

“That’s what Uncle and Big Brother are talking about then. I was wondering why they were having such a serious discussion.”

“Is there a problem?”

“You’re still such a rookie. Of course this is a problem. A man who held a sword for an enemy king can’t just walk back in the country.”

“But Conrad’s not the enemy. He told me himself why he was in Big Shimaron.”

“It doesn’t matter what he told _you_ , the only thing the other nobles know is that he’s a traitor. Even if whether he’s executed on sight or not is your decision, there still have to be consequences. Uncle would have had him arrested if you got off the boat together.”

“But he didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Yes he did! Did you forget everything that happened?”

I bite back my response, knowing he’s right. It _will_ seem bad from an outsider’s perspective.

“But he’s been working to help Shin Makoku all this time.”

Wolfram shook his head. “You’ll need to convince a lot of people of that — many of whom have wanted Conrart gone for years.”

His gaze is fixed on Gwendal and Waltorana who has his hand on his head in complete agitation.

“It’s best if you punish him publicly before they start objecting. Strip him of his title at least.”

“I’m not going to do that! I’m sure the nobles will understand if we sit and talk it out.”

Wolfram mutters something under his breath as he watches Chevalier step away from his uncle and stride back up the ramp. After a moment, Conrad and Murata follow him back down. I step forward to introduce everyone, but Wolf grabs my arm to stop me, shaking his head.

It might be my imagination, but Waltorana bows much deeper to Murata than he did for me. Conrad hangs back while they do all their introductions before stepping forward. It’s immediately obvious he is not as well received as the Great Sage, Murata Ken.

I watch as Conrad inclines his head to Waltorana when I hear an ear-shattering screech and the hairs on the back of my neck raise.

“YOUR MAJESTY!!”

The soldiers tense at the man approaching at breakneck speed, but when they see it’s Lord von Christ, they only look on in pity. I barely have time to brace myself before I’m swept up into a bone-crushing hug as Gunter laments how he was unable to accompany me on my stay in prison, leaking Gun-juices everywhere.

“It must have been terrible for Your Majesty to be in such an awful place! If any of those barbarians laid a finger on your beautiful body I, Gunter, will have them extradited and hanged for their crimes!”

“That’s okay, Gunter. You’re the only one laying fingers on my body right now!”

Oh, no! He’s rubbing his nose on my shoulder! Gunter, stop!

I look to Wolfram for help, but he’s glaring daggers at me.

“You were in _prison_!? That’s why you were gone for so long!?”

Uh oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole story is already written, I'm just releasing as I edit the chapters~ Maybe weekly considering how busy my life is about to get!


	2. ~2~

We’re ushered into the castle without much fanfare — or any at all for that matter.

“Hey, is there a reason we’re sneaking back in? Was there a coup while I was gone!?”

Wolfram huffs. “Don’t be ridiculous! If there was a coup, we would have dragged the impostor out and executed them before letting you anywhere near this place!”

“Since Your Majesty and Lord von Voltaire were absent for such an extended period of time, we arranged some body doubles to put the populace’s minds at ease,” Gunter explains.

Gwendal’s frown makes an appearance.

“Body doubles?”

He may be confused, but a memory was starting to surface in my mind involving the Poison Lady and a several hour political history lesson being forced out of me. But where did she find another double-black to be me?

A shiver goes up my back imagining ma-powered robots with wigs and costumes sitting on the throne and meeting with ambassadors. What’s worse? Them realizing they’re robots or _not_ realizing?

Even though it’s still early in the evening, all I want to do is have an early dinner and collapse in bed, but Gunter is ushering us all into a meeting room. The thought of having to take care of political matters as soon as I get off a boat is making me irritated. I scowl at an elaborate carving of a dolphin-like creature on a mantle.

Oh no, is this what people mean when they say being a country’s leader makes you age early?

“Your Majesty! Your Excellency!”

A young girl bursts into the room and comes running towards us with reddish brown eyes and tan skin the color of wheat. The wide and open smile on her face always reminds me of a sunflower.

“Nicola! You’re here at the castle!”

Nicola is a human girl who met Gwendal’s cousin, Lord Grisela Gegenhuber, while he was exiled in Svelera and recently became his bride with the permission of the Grisela family. Our meeting was eventful to say the least, as Gwendal and I had been mistaken for her and Gegenhuber and were arrested for eloping. The thought still gives me the chills, but it turned out alright in the end.

“How have you been? And how’s the baby? I heard they were born recently.”

“Yuuri is doing well, Your Majesty. The Grisela family has provided everything we need and more. It’s all thanks to the kindness of Your Excellency.”

Ah, I forgot they were naming their baby after me. It’s still embarrassing to think about.

By Your Excellency, she means Gwendal. I hear he worked very hard introducing her to the Grisela family and making sure she was accepted and provided for. He even checks up on her regularly. Gwen might have issues with her husband, but he seems to have a soft-spot for the easily excited Nicola.

“Oh, that’s right! This is Murata Ken. He’s a friend from back home.”

Murata bows exaggeratedly, putting on a charming smile I recognize from his ‘girl-hunting’ adventures.

“Pleased to meet you, miss. May I say that your smile is just what I needed after returning from the slammer.”

So you’ll even flirt with married mothers, Murata? Shameless. Nicola doesn’t know what ‘the slammer’ means, but she still greets him politely. I turn to the silent butler before Nicola’s blush can get any deeper.

“And this is Chevalier. He doesn’t look like it, but he used to be the Maou a long time ago.”

“Oh!” She brings a hand to her mouth in surprise before giving him a polite curtsy.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Prior Majesty.”

“No, ah, there’s no need to bow. I gave that title up over a century ago.”

“Oh, is that something you can give up?”

See? Even Nicola understands he can’t run away from his duty.

The rest of the group exchanges pleasantries and after Nicola fawns over Gwendal, she leans close and whispers in my ear.

“Are you sure you’re not in love with His Excellency? I still think you two are perfect for each other.”

Nicola, please stop. She asks that question every time we see each other. For some reason, she just can’t understand that Gwendal and I _weren’t_ eloping in Svelera. At least Wolf didn’t hear.

Speaking of the incident in Svelera, a thought occurs to me.

“Wait, are _you_ my body double? So does that mean..?”

Gwendal’s hand moves to his sword hilt while Conrad freezes in place. As if summoned, Gegenhuber is hovering in the doorway looking ashamed.

“How _dare_ you show your face in this castle again!” Gwendal roars, gripping his sword hilt so tightly that his knuckles pale. The animosity in his voice is enough to shock Nicola into near-tears.

Gegenhuber, on the other hand, only bows his head in shame at the continued verbal abuse from Gwen.

“Gwen, stop!” I try to move forward, but Conrad bars my path with an arm.

“It’s best to keep your distance, Your Majesty.”

I move to push his arm away, but a new voice freezes me in place.

“Calm down, Gwendal. I called for him.”

Lady von Karbelnikoff Anissina, the Red Devil, Poison Lady, one of Shin Makoku’s Three Great Witches, terrorizer of men, pushes her way into the room and flicks her long, flaming red ponytail over her shoulder. It speaks to how much Gwendal despises Gegenhuber that he doesn’t shrink back at her appearance.

“To do what!?”

“Because all you irresponsible men left the country, someone needed to sit on the throne and put the people’s minds at ease. I chose the perfect candidates.”

“If you were going to disguise someone as the Maou, you could have chosen anyone! There was no need to summon a man who has been put under house arrest.”

“Of course there was. While I had no desire to see that man again, those two have already been mistaken for you and His Majesty so they were the most expedient choice. Did you not say you trusted me to watch over things while you were gone?”

“When I said you were the only one I could trust, I meant _you_! Not some traitor who hasn’t seen the inside of a court for decades!”

“Honestly, Gwendal. Do you doubt my ability to choose a proper stand-in?”

“Why did you need a stand-in? You could have done it yourself!”

“Well it was simple. I did not want to.”

“And who handled the legal work!?”

“Honestly, why do men always resort to yelling? This is why I have no interests in men’s politics. But if you really must know, yes, I handled the paperwork while you were away. Gegenhuber and Miss Nicola were only sitting around in a closed room. More importantly, there is an issue that has surfaced.”

“Issue?”

“I’m sure she means me.”

Yet another person appears in the doorway. This new man looks like he could be related to Lady Cherie, but he lacks all of her kindness or sex appeal. His golden blonde hair almost seems to sparkle in the light and his blue eyes are like the surface of the ocean — handsome in a daring way — but the way his thin lips curl into a smirk is vaguely menacing. He has his hand resting on a fancy water bottle strapped to his belt where a sword would normally be. Did he like hiking? If so, his fancy clothes and cape were incredibly impractical.

Wondering who else would step through the door, I crane my neck to try and peak around the frame. Were they lined up out there waiting for their cue? My curiosity is cut off by a yell.

“What are you doing here!?”

This time it’s Murata. The hatred in his face and voice is unmistakable as he moves to stand in front of me.

“Ah, Lord Sage. Still no proper greeting? At least this time our conversation can proceed without you seeing me devoid of clothes.”

Devoid of clothes!? Did they meet in a bath somewhere?

“How did you get a body? Don’t tell me you…”

“I’m here with a large amount of maryoku.” The man taps the water bottle at his side. “As long as I have this ingenious device created by our young Karbelnikoff here, I can stay in this world in physical form.”

“Uh, Murata? What’s going on here?”

When Murata continues to glare at the stranger instead of answering, Gunter steps forward to explain.

“Your Majesty, this is His Majesty Shinou.”

There is a distinct lack of reverence in his voice compared to how he usually speaks of the true king. I wonder what must have happened while we were gone. More importantly, he’s said something truly astounding.

“Shinou!?”

Everyone on the away team looks shocked at this revelation while the home team looks utterly resigned.

This is the super important guy who created the country and built this castle with the super scary name? Wouldn’t that make him thousands of years old? More importantly, isn’t he dead? Is he another zombie!?

The man turns his unnerving smirk towards me.

“You must be Yuuri. I trust you’ve been taking good care of my kingdom in my absence?”

“Uh…” How do I address someone super important like him? “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty.”

His smirk deepens even more at my attempt at propriety and I feel my ears redden.

“Pleased and humbled, I’m sure. This might get confusing with all of these ‘Your Majesty’s so I’ll allow everyone to simply refer to me by my title.”

“Th-thanks Shinou.”

Crap. My words are jumbling together and I’m stiffening up again. I’ll never get used to speaking one-on-one with other kings like this.

“Of course you’re grateful. You and I need to have a private discussion, so I have to ask everyone else to leave.”

“Shibuya doesn’t need to be alone with you.”

“You were always overly cautious. You have nothing to worry about, Lord Sage. Your Yuuri is very important to me, too. Besides, it’ll be such a bother to replace him at this point.”

“Don’t talk to me so casually,” Murata says.

“Hey hey, aren’t you two supposed to be old buddies?” I ask.

“The man who followed him is long dead and I hesitate to call them buddies,” Murata answers.

I don’t know what’s going on with the two of them, but this tense atmosphere could go bad at any moment.

“But even so, it’s okay if we talk alone, right?” I ask.

“See, Yuuri is being reasonable.”

“You can’t order me out of the room,” Murata says.

“I’m afraid you’ll find that I outrank you in these matters.”

“A dead man has no authority here,” Murata says.

“When did I die?”

Murata tenses and a frown creases his brow, but makes no move to leave. Sensing the obvious tension, Conrad steps forward with his head bowed.

“Your- Shinou, since His Majesty does not know the proper protocol for having an audience with someone as distinguished as you, it would be prudent for someone versed in such matters to accompany him.”

“I’m not easily offended. Honestly, it’s tiring that everyone is so formal all the time.”

“Even so, it would serve as an opportunity for him to practice with such a magnanimous conversation partner.”

“What we’re discussing is far too important to double as a lesson in manners, Conrart.”

Just like that, Conrad’s valiant attempt to save me is easily swatted aside.

Shinou looks around the room and sighs when no one moves to leave.

“Fine, since it concerns the boxes, the keys can stay. And I suppose Gunter can remain as well.”

While everyone is ushered out, Murata leans towards me and whispers in my ear.

“Don’t listen to anything he says, Shibuya. He always has an angle and he has always wanted all the boxes for himself.”


	3. ~3~

After Murata closes the door with one last meaningful glance, Shinou waits a few moments with his head cocked to the side before speaking.

“Skipping past all the pleasantries since we’ve been waiting for Yuuri’s return for a while, let’s get to the topic at hand: the Four Forbidden Boxes.” 

Wow, he really didn’t waste any time.

Shinou crosses his legs and leans back in his chair, the image of haughty confidence. “More specifically, Yuuri’s plans for them.”

“Well…” Crap. It’s still weird talking to such an important person. I’m weak against this exact kind of personality! He’s one of those gorgeous foreign men who confidently tries to dump all their trash and recycling into the burnable trash can and then laughs and walks away when a brave employee tries to correct him. I feel dismissed. I feel dismissed and I haven’t even finished my sentence!

Calm down, Shibuya Yuuri. He might be one of those men, but he’s also kind of a zombie and you’ve handled plenty of those recently.

“I explained to everyone quite clearly,” I say, with a new measure of confidence against the zombie man. “The boxes need to be put somewhere no one will ever find them. They’re too dangerous for anyone to get their hands on.”

“One could say a smart man would keep such dangerous objects where they could keep an eye on them. Here, along with the keys to use them. Isn’t it better for destructive power like that to be held by one with no intention to use it?”

“Absolutely not!”

My outburst causes the tension in the room to escalate. Gwendal’s fingers are twitching where he has them knitted together on the table.

“Yeah, I have no intention of using them,” I say. “But I won’t be the Maou forever. It’s better if we get rid of them now in case the next Maou has different ideas. Or better yet, find a way to destroy them properly!”

The displeased look on Shinou’s face lasts only a second before he covers it up with an air of confidence, but I don’t miss it. It gives me an uneasy feeling.

“Wolf, you sank the box like I asked, right?”

Shinou answers for him. “But of course. Wolfram and I personally discarded of the box on the way home. Once we have the rest of the boxes, we’ll drop them all together in the same place where no one will find them, just as Your Majesty wishes.”

“Well… that’s good, then.”

He says that, but according to Murata, this is the exact opposite of what he wants. Wolf backs up his claim however, and he wouldn’t lie about something like this. I’m not sure what to believe anymore.

“But even sunken to the ocean floor, these boxes still pose a danger. Not only in the way you are rightfully worried about, but also for political reasons.” Shinou gestures around the table to the three brothers. “The humans are aware that the keys are contained within mazoku. Most appear to not understand specific bloodlines are necessary, but not all are so ignorant. Fortunately, your and Wolfram’s identity as keys is as yet unknown, but Voltaire and Weller will be in constant danger any time they venture out of our borders.”

“Which is why they should be destroyed. If there’s no boxes, no one will need the keys.”

“Not necessarily. I know something about how people think, if only for how long I’ve spent with nothing to do besides watch them. There will always be those who will refuse to believe the boxes are gone. After all, a destroyed box would leave behind no proof.” He knits his fingers together. “Which is why even if you don’t keep the boxes here, we should still tell other countries we have them. Fake copies can easily be made so any infiltrator can verify our claims. That’s the only way others will cease scouring the world. As long as you allow a world where humans continue to search for the boxes knowing certain mazoku are keys to open them, you endanger the life of every mazoku living outside our borders. Take Grisela for example. Permanently disfigured by a foolish human trying to seize power.”

I clench my fists under the table. He’s not wrong. He’s not wrong, but I’m not wrong either.

“If we have all these powerful objects, then the other countries will arm themselves to defend against us. It will turn into a chain reaction that could result in war and then no mazoku anywhere will be safe.”

“What do you propose, then?”

I stare at the table. What _do_ I propose? Putting aside Murata’s warnings about this man, what is the compromise between the completely logical things he said and what I also know to be true?

“… If everyone knows who the real keys are, then the mazoku abroad will be safe.”

“But then you could never leave the kingdom again. My way is simpler.”

I shake my head. “Putting aside whether I agree, we can’t have all four boxes anyway. You sank Inferno on the Tundra into the ocean.”

“There are ways to retrieve it.”

A frustrated noise escapes my throat. “I won’t keep such dangerous things in the kingdom. You didn’t see the destruction just one box caused in Shimaron.”

“I did, actually, but fine. I chose you to act as my stand-in so I’ll respect your decision. The question is, how to find the last box?”

Gunter finally speaks up from his end of the table, seizing on the opportunity to interrupt without being rude.

“Your Majesties, if I may? On the whereabouts of the End of the Land, it is highly likely that the box remains in Small Shimaron. We haven’t been able to conduct a thorough investigation, but there has been word that it was recovered by an unknown party from where it was used.”

“Someone stole it!?”

To be honest, I never considered where that box must have gone off to. I was so preoccupied with the tragedy and loss of life in the moment that I didn’t even consider the box at all. It was a massive failure on my part.

“Yes, Your Majesty. According to Gisela and Josak, the box had fallen into a crevasse at the scene of the incident rendering it irretrievable at the time, but when we sent operatives later, it was nowhere to be found.”

“So we don’t know where it is?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the relationship with Small Shimaron required to make a formal inquiry. There is also the matter that the country went to great lengths to procure the box in the first place so it is doubtful they would willfully disclose that information.”

“Do you think they were the ones who retrieved the box?” I think of Sara down south in Seisakoku handling things for his brother and trying to regain control there. If he really did take the box from where it was used, now could be the best time to get it back. Sara would never let me have it, but maybe one of his advisors could be persuaded…

“If Small Shimaron retrieved the box, then it could be anywhere,” Gunter says, interrupting my own scheming. “After their king abandoned the country during that dreadful attack we were caught up in, Small Shimaron has remained politically volatile.”

Wow, Sara. You really did abandon your country didn’t you?

Gunter starts to lament the danger I was placed in and I cut him off before he can work himself up into hysterics.

“Then we need to go search immediately! Now could be the perfect time to go in.”

The reaction to that statement is instantaneous as everyone besides Shinou voices their objections. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Wolf speaks up finally. “You can’t leave the kingdom again after being gone for so long, rookie!”

“But Wolf, this is important!”

“Wolfram is right, Your Majesty,” Conrad explains calmly. “While your presence on previous missions has been beneficial, someone with actual infiltration training would be most suited for a retrieval mission like this.”

“And also, Your Majesty,” Gunter adds. “We should find someone to scout out the area beforehand anyway! In the meantime, there are many pressing matters here in the castle that only Your Majesty can handle.”

Gunter falls fully into his element listing all the diplomats waiting for an audience and the literal mountain of legislation waiting for my review. I haven’t even had a chance to relax yet!

Shinou sits back, watching me with an amused look on his face. I almost feel like I’m being judged — and maybe it’s warranted. I was worried about being dismissed by Shinou himself earlier, but as soon as I talked about going after the box, Team Blood Pledge was the one that actually dismissed me.

It doesn’t matter. This isn’t the first time they’ve objected to me running off, but I’ll figure out something in the meantime. I always do.


	4. Settling in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading 2 chapters today because this one's easily classed as 'downtime'

There is nothing to do but wait. Luckily, that means I’m getting some much needed rest… or I _should_ be, at least. There are still so many unresolved problems looming over the horizon that even my adorable daughter can’t lighten the mood enough to relax properly.

Adding on to that, Shinou is stressing people out by simply existing even though he’s been spending most of his time out at his temple. I wonder why? He was trapped in that place for thousands of years and he’s still hanging around there? Maybe he’s scared. That would make sense! After a while, the temple would be all he knew so he’s like a baby chick that needs to get kicked out of the nest! This train of thought occupies my brain for all of two minutes before I dismiss it, however. There’s no way that arrogant man is hiding that much fear of the outside world. Murata would yell at me if he knew I even considered it.

Speaking of Murata, I haven’t seen much of him. He’s been alternating between harassing Shinou and burying himself under books in the library. There are four thousand years of history he’s trying to cram into his brain the way only a private school genius like him can. Personally, I want to show him around and hang out a little, but he’s been too irritable to approach. In a way, I don’t mind because it keeps him from flirting with the maids too much.

We all have cause to be less than agreeable, though. Gunter hasn’t been able to get much more information on the End of the Land. On one hand, that gives me more time to figure out how to sneak along on the mission, but on the other, every day that passes is another day someone can make off with the box and disappear forever. Normally, Josak would have gone in and I know he would have had answers by now. Unfortunately, our guard of the inner circle is still unconscious for unknown reasons. I’m not allowed to visit him, but his condition is stable according to Gisela and Anissina.

Chevalier has unfortunately slipped back into old habits and infiltrated the castle staff as a servant. I suppose no one recognizes him because he was only the Maou for a short time over 150 years ago. When I asked Gunter about it, I learned the reason Chevalier’s portrait still isn’t part of the lineup of previous Maou is because he refused to sit for one. Incidentally, this is the same reason Lady Cherie doesn’t have one either, but in her case it’s more because she’s incapable of sitting still for anything longer than afternoon tea. Anyway, Gwendal is keeping Chevalier close in what I’m suspecting is a vain attempt to instill some confidence in the man. Poor Chevalier. He’ll be pining after Lady Cherie forever at this rate.

Unexpectedly, Conrad did not take up his old post under Gunter and is spending his days working through his own paperwork hell from Luttenberg. He never had much paperwork because Luttenberg is such a small territory. In fact, even though I kept him company while he worked a few times before, I actually forgot he even used to _have_ any paperwork. But once word got out that he came home, the inquiries and requests people had been holding on to started pouring in. Gwendal took care of things while Conrad was gone, but apparently there were a lot of matters people over there didn’t feel comfortable having anyone but Conrad address.

It’s odd seeing Conrad in casual clothes dragging a pile of papers into my office to keep me company instead of standing guard nearby in uniform, but nothing is more bizarre than the fact that Wolfram moved back to his old rooms. I told him I forgave him for attacking me in Seisakoku — both times — but he got all serious and thanked me for being gracious before walking away. I hardly ever see him unless he’s spending time with Greta and I join the two of them. During that time he seems completely normal, but then he disappears once we put Greta to bed or she goes off to school. The times I tried to follow him afterwards he either went directly to his room or left the castle altogether. Getting caught by Gunter or getting spotted by the guards always prevented me from following him outside the grounds.

I corner Conrad after he traps himself in my office with the tea and snacks he always brings in.

“Hey, I know I asked you about this before but Wolfram still isn’t sleeping in my room. I thought for sure it was just because he didn’t like the room on the ship and he’d come back once we got home, but now he hardly even talks to me unless Greta is around.”

Conrad’s pen, courtesy of Anissina’s store, the Queen’s Inventions, pauses over his paper. “He’s still avoiding you?”

“Yeah, it’s weird.”

He considers this for a moment before turning back to his paperwork. “It’s not really my place to say, Your Majesty. And I haven’t spoken with him recently so I’m afraid I won’t be much help.”

“It’s Yuuri, man-who-named-me. But anyway, you’re his big brother, right? You really don’t have any ideas?”

“I doubt it’s anything serious. With all that’s happened recently, Wolfram has some of his own troubles he’s dealing with. I’m sure he’ll make up with you eventually.”

“So he _is_ mad.” I sink down into my chair. “You’re saying he’s mad at me for something, right!?”

“I’m sure that’s not the case, Your- Yuuri.” A corner of his mouth lifts. “We would all know if he was mad at you. He’s probably just trying to work through something.”

My shoulders fell. “That means it probably _is_ about what happened in Seisakoku. I’ve said so many times that it’s fine. I mean, I hurt him, too!”

“Try not to worry too much. Whatever the issue is, when it comes to Wolfram and personal matters, the best thing to do is wait for him. He’s never responded well to anyone stepping in — no matter how well-meaning.” He chuckles and his gaze wanders upward, maybe recalling an old memory.

I guess the adult in the room knows better about these sorts of things. It’s still frustrating though.

“How am I not supposed to worry? I mean, he’s not even around during the day sometimes. And I know he has things he needs to do and I’m not saying he needs to keep me company or anything, but some days I don’t even see him until dinner.”

Conrad gives me a knowing smile. “It sounds like you’ve grown more fond of Wolf while I’ve been gone.”

Heat spreads up to my ears.

“I-i-i-it’s not that! I’m just worried! He won’t tell me what he’s doing. At least before he’d say he was taking care of Bielefeld business and be all haughty about it, but now he’s just acting secretive.”

“Would you like me to speak with him?”

“No!” I almost fell out of my chair. “No, that’s okay. I’ll just give him some space like you said.”

I can only imagine how irritated Wolf would be if I sent his brother to check up on him. Only a year ago, Wolfram would start yelling if I even mentioned Conrad and their relationship is still a little rocky as far as I can tell. Better to change the subject before I give him any more ideas.

“So, Conrad. When you catch up with all your extra work, are you going to take up your old job? Not that I’m trying to pressure you or anything — you should do what you want to do. I was just wondering.”

Conrad pauses in his writing again. “I’m not sure that would be for the best.”

“What do you mean?”

“After spending so much time in Big Shimaron with no explanation, many would object to me having such a close position to Your Majesty again.”

“But you didn’t actually betray anyone! I’m sure if you and I explain things properly, no one will get too angry.”

“I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that. The war is still fresh in people’s minds. Your Majesty was born after the war, so it might be hard to explain, but those feelings of loss and anger can’t simply be reasoned away.” He places his pen down and gives me his full attention. “Not that I am not grateful for being allowed to return home. I’m sure it will be no small feat repaying you for your kindness.”

“Don’t worry about that! But, does that mean you actually _do_ want to join my guard again?”

I remember him saying as much a long time ago. It was from eavesdropping, but he clearly said there was nothing he wanted more than to guard me for the rest of his life. Does he still feel that way?

He considers what I said before responding. “I actually enjoy taking the time to work on administration. I often felt that my father’s territory needed more attention than I was able to provide before. Of course, that was mostly because of my travels, not working under Your Majesty.”

“Ahh, but dragging you around the world probably didn’t help.”

“It was my pleasure.”

The charming look on his face is familiar to me. Unfortunately, it’s because this is the face he wears when he’s trying to avoid a subject. I suppose I have to leave this topic alone, huh?

“Well, it’s nice to have company with all thi- AHH!”

“Your Majesty?”

“I did that thing again and started writing what you were saying all over this building permit!”

It’s been a long time since I heard Conrad’s laugh.


	5. ~5~

For the first time in a while, Wolfram has joined me in my office during the workday. All three brothers are here, actually, each with their own stack of documents to work through.

I study Wolfram’s profile while he’s not looking. His honey blonde hair is as radiant as always, and those emerald green eyes that remind me of the bottom of a lake are bright and alert. My eyes trace the line of his jaw and for a moment I wonder if the thinning of his cheeks is my imagination or not. Is he eating properly? He always finishes his plate at dinner, but I have no idea if he eats any other meals.

I open my mouth to ask how he’s doing, but decide not to. It was only a few days ago that I resolved to give him space to sort himself out. I can’t back out on that so soon — and with an audience to witness it. If he starts to look unwell in a way I can’t explain away by saying it’s my imagination, _then_ I’ll pry.

It still makes me feel terrible, though. At the very least, I can see if he eats lunch today unless he disappears before then.

Just before noon, Gunter bursts in clutching several scrolls and books to his chest. All four of us look up in unison.

“What’s up, Gunter? You look worried. Did something happen to Josak!?” I’m half out of my seat before he has the chance to wave that concern away, one scroll tumbling to the floor. He drops a few more things bending to pick it up and Conrad moves to help him.

“No, Your Majesty,” Gunter finally answers, placing the documents on the table. “Josak is doing fine. There is an issue arising, however.”

“What is it?”

“Unfortunately, the nobility are requesting a formal inquiry regarding Conrart’s time in Big Shimaron.”

“Okay. Do you need me to write something? A statement or a letter of recommendation?”

“Taking into consideration the relationship we have with the Shimaron territories and also Conrart’s heritage, it is unlikely a simple letter will satisfy them.”

“Well, then what do we do?”

Gunter’s mouth presses into a line and he glances at Conrad. “Well, Your Majesty…”

Perhaps annoyed with how long it’s taking him to answer, Wolfram speaks up. “Which nobles are filing complaints?”

“Lord von Gyllenhaal, Lord von Spitzweg, seven minor nobles… and several members of the Bielefeld family.”

Wolf makes an annoyed hissing noise and his pretty face twists into a scowl.

“If they are ignored, it would not take much to garner enough support of the Ten Noble families to demand an official audience here in the castle. We will have to respond in some capacity.”

“So, how do we do that?” I prompt.

“I am loath to suggest this, but… Your Majesty, perhaps the best thing to do now would be to punish Conrart publicly. That could make everything go away.”

“Absolutely not! He’s proven his loyalty.”

“Has he, though?” Wolfram asks.

“What do you mean? You were there in Seisakoku when he helped us out. If you didn’t trust his loyalty, you would have never let us speak on the boat ride home.”

“I’m not talking about for me, personally. What reason do the nobles or commoners have to believe hearsay like that? Even from the Maou himself?”

“Well… why would I lie? Why would I let someone who was an actual traitor back into the castle?”

“Your Majesty’s kindness is unparalleled,” Gunter says. For a moment the tone of his voice picks up and I’m afraid he’ll get carried away showering me with praise for the next minute, but his face falls instead. “Normally that’s why Your Majesty is so beloved by the people, but unfortunately it has called your judgment into question. It’s no secret that you have a close personal relationship with Conrart. Adding to that, there are other reasons many in the nobility and common populace are not inclined to think highly of him.”

“What do you mean?”

Wolfram’s brow furrows when Gunter fumbles over how to respond. “He’s talking about lingering prejudice. Even I remember how viciously some of the nobility went after Conrart and people like him during the war. Him going off to Big Shimaron just confirmed what they already suspected.” He turns to Conrad with a scowl. “It’s possibly the worst decision he’s ever made. He _should_ be punished for his foolishness.”

“Wanting to talk about peace isn’t foolish!” I say.

“Your Majesty, Wolfram isn’t wrong," Conrad interjects. "It _was_ foolish of me to leave without explaining myself. I will accept any decision you make.”

“I won’t do it! If you’re saying that people won’t believe my say-so, then we just convince them some other way. Conrad almost got that huge social boost from the Ten Nobles, right? And then Josak was always saying how many of the soldiers wanted him back in the army. There’s got to be so many people who will vouch for him.”

“That was before he went directly into enemy territory and worked as their ambassador for months. Before you became the Maou, just wearing that uniform would have been grounds for execution,” Wolfram says.

“Execution!? Lady Cherie really did things like that?”

“Mother didn’t-… she left the decisions to Stuffel so she never challenged who was executed.”

“In fact, I’m sure she wasn’t even aware of most of them,” Conrad adds.

That’s horribly reprehensible. But, I feel like it would be bad to say so in front of all of her sons. Speaking of which, Gwendal hasn’t added anything in a while. The wrinkles in his brow are deeper than ever and his eyes are focused on a point across the room.

Wolfram brings my attention back.

“In any case, Yuuri, you need to punish him somehow like I told you the day you brought him back. If Conrart still worked under Gunter’s command, he would have been able to punish him on your behalf, but now it’s your responsibility.”

“How many times are we going to go through this? I’m not doing that!”

Gunter leans forward with a worried look. “But if they assemble a formal inquiry, the decision will be out of your hands. Whatever the nobles decide could be much worse than any punishment Your Majesty would bestow. And as I’m sure you understand, no one can overturn a collective decision made by the Ten Nobles. I, Gunter, will of course move for sympathy, as I’m sure Gwendal will as well, but our feelings on the matter can hardly be considered neutral. Our input will not be taken seriously.”

“We, Lord von Wincott, and Lord von Karbelnikoff are the only votes you can count on. That’s less than half,” Gwendal adds finally. “Not punishing him now puts him at risk.”

“How would I even punish him?” The words burn my throat.

“Banishment from the castle, imprisonment, stripping of privileges — there are several options.”

“Those are all terrible!”

Gwendal makes an irritated noise that throws me off balance. I’m used to him disapproving of my decisions, but this sounds more like resignation.

“If you’re set on being stubborn about this, we should at least put him under house arrest. That way when the inquiry is inevitably called, you won’t look like you completely failed to consider the consequences of your actions.”

Before I can protest, Conrad puts a hand up to stop me.

“It’s alright, Your Majesty. I have no time to leave the castle anyway. House arrest would not disrupt my daily life at all and it actually will help the situation.”

“If you had any sense, you wouldn’t have tried to come back here like nothing had changed,” Wolfram says with a touch of venom. “No wonder you refused a higher position. You have no instinct for this work at all.”

“Wolf, that’s too much! It’s not his fault. I’m the leader so it was my decision. And if… if house arrest really will help things without making any trouble… I’m sorry, Conrad.”

“Don’t apologize, Your Majesty. Like I said, it’s no inconvenience.”

“That won’t end it though, Yuuri. You need to take some time and think of an actual punishment. My uncle will easily rally support behind him if he finds you incompetent.”

For a moment, I think he is speaking about Stuffel, Lady Cherie’s brother, but he specifically said ‘my uncle’ instead of ‘our uncle.’ He must mean that man, Waltorana. Even Conrad warned me to be on my best behavior around him.

“You know Wolf, you haven’t talked much about your uncle. I didn’t even know his name until two weeks ago.”

“I shouldn’t have had to tell you his name! He was introduced to you at your coronation!”

I chuckle nervously. “Ah yeah, that’s right, huh?”

He sniffs. “Well, I suppose your ignorance can’t be helped. I’ve been acting as the Bielefeld family representative in the capital for years now so Uncle has never had to travel here or make any direct requests. The most important thing to remember about him is that he is unlikely to take things you say seriously.”

“Why is that? Because I’m so young?”

By the barely concealed frowns of everyone in the room, I immediately know that this is _not_ the actual reason, but Wolfram simply says, “You could say that, sure.”

No one elaborates or contradicts what he says and there is a heavy weight in the air yelling, “Don’t ask questions!” so I let the issue go as Gunter steps up to my desk.

“In that case, Your Majesty, I’ll have a formal release detailing the particulars on his confinement drafted for you to sign. It should be ready by the end of the day.”

"And if that doesn't work, then maybe an inquiry will be a good thing. When they all gather together we can hash things out face-to-face."

I can practically feel the temperature in the room plummet at that statement. When I turn to Conrad he’s smiling encouragingly at me, but I wonder how he really feels about all this.


	6. Decisions

Three weeks after ordering a house arrest for Conrad, Gunter calls a meeting to discuss the boxes. Shinou, who I have been avoiding for the most part, also comes and is causing waves of tension to spread out from his seat at the head of the table. Gunter silently fussed over that because that’s usually where I sit, but ultimately he had no authority to challenge him. Before Murata could worry Gunter even more by squeezing himself in between Shinou and I, pushing me even farther away from the head of the table, I half-dove into the seat to Shinou’s right. I didn’t need a fight over something stupid starting before everyone even got to the table.

“Long time no see, Yuuri. How have you been these past few weeks?” Shinou asks.

“Fine, and you?”

The smile that spreads across his face has a touch of mischief which would be endearing coming from someone else. “I’ve been _very_ busy. Isn’t that right, Wolfram?”

Wolfram’s lips press into a thin line and he does not answer. Shinou doesn’t seem offended.

“Have you two been spending time together?” I ask. If so, Wolf doesn’t seem very happy about it.

“Oh, of course! Wolfram here- and well, I suppose Gwendal and Conrart, are some of my closest surviving relatives.”

“Oh! You’re family?”

“Distantly, but yes. My Wolfram here has the least busy schedule out of the three brothers, so I’m afraid I’ve been monopolizing his time. I hope I haven’t been overly depriving you of your fiance’s attentions. I’ve missed thousands of years, after all.”

“No, family is important,” I say. The statement is true, but the overly fake way that Shinou speaks unsettles my nerves even though he answered a question that has been weighing on my mind.

Wolfram is always missing because Shinou is monopolizing his time, not because he’s still upset about what happened in Seisakoku. Relief spreads through me, but the strained expression on Wolfram’s face and Shinou’s oddly haughty and mocking attitude stamp it down immediately. I glance around the table to see if I’m imagining all of this, but the tense atmosphere tells me that everyone sees something is wrong here as well.

“But,” I continue, trying to take back my previous words, “maybe I would like more time with him, you know, because… I miss him.”

My words came out a little jumbled and I’m sure everyone can see the faint heat creeping up my neck. Shinou started smirking while I was searching around for words and I feel like he was trying not to laugh at me. Even now, he’s just watching me silently. Is it because if he opens his mouth he won’t be able to keep his laughter in?

After a few seconds, Gunter clears his throat and eyes Shinou, clearly wondering who he should address first, before turning to me. “Your Majesty, we have some developments regarding the whereabouts of the final box.”

Shinou leans forward. “Wonderful!”

“Lady Gilbit has reached out to us concerning the End of the Land,” Gunter continues. “She did not feel it was prudent to send specifics by pigeon which can be easily intercepted. She requests an envoy be sent to Caloria for further details. Normally I would be hesitant to send a team into a situation that can easily turn into a trap, but our relationship with Caloria is amicable enough that I feel confident in the team’s safety.”

“I’ll have one assembled by the end of the day,” Gwendal says.

“If Your Majesty shares my faith in our relationship with Caloria, all we need is your approval.”

“We don’t need a team. Wolf, Conrad, and I can just take a-”

“Absolutely not!” Wolfram interrupts, standing and slamming his hands down on the table. “You need to stay here!”

Shinou leans back in his chair and watches the outburst with keen interest.

“It’s been almost two months since I’ve been back and I’m completely caught up on our backlog! There’s no reason I can’t go along for something so important!”

“There’s plenty of reason, rookie! The least of which is that you neglected to punish Conrart when you had the opportunity so you need to stick around to defend him at the inquiry!”

He has a point and I can’t help but cringe in my inability to argue with him.

“On top of that, you recently insulted the Ten Noble Families by leaving the country after they decided Gunter would take care of the situation with Seisakoku and Small Shimaron. _Admittedly_ , I helped you do that, but leaving still went directly against their wishes and replacing Gunter showed that you had no faith in their abilities! Abandoning the country again while they’re on their way to meet with you at a time _you_ agreed upon will be unforgivable. You need to start taking your job seriously!”

“But getting rid of the boxes is a matter of global safety! Surely the nobles can understand that.”

“They won’t understand because they know that any of our trusted soldiers can carry out this mission and _you_ have no military training at all!”

“I should at least be the one to meet with Flynn.”

“Wolfram is correct, Your Majesty,” Gunter interrupts. “You are needed here and Gwendal has many fine subordinates to entrust with this mission.”

Seeing the frustration on my face, Wolfram adds, “If it will make you feel better, I will oversee the operation.”

“You can’t do that, Wolf.”

“I have training and experience in military logistics and command. Why wouldn’t I be able to handle something like this?”

“Because, well…”

I can’t say it’s because I don’t want him to go, but leaving my sentence off in the middle like that seems to have enraged him.

“I see. So Your Majesty thinks so little of my abilities?”

“That’s not it! I’d trust you with my life, Wolf!”

He huffs, but there is a trace of a smile there. “Then there shouldn’t be a problem. Unless Lord von Voltaire has any objections?”

Gwendal shakes his head. “I can easily grant you field command.”

“Then it’s decided.”

Murata makes an agonized face like he’s fighting against something in his head.

“Lord von Bielefeld, you shouldn’t be drawn to this box like Inferno on the Tundra, but you should still exercise care around it. No matter what the circumstances, do not touch the box even if it means you lose it. Lord Grisela was able to survive his injuries, but you would not survive having your heart burn out of your chest.”

“That can happen!?” I jump out of my seat. “Then you definitely can’t go! It’s too dangerous!”

“I’ll be fine if someone else carries the box around. You said it was small enough for one person to carry if need be, right?”

“Even so!”

“Then to further ease His Majesty’s mind, I too will accompany Wolfram to this Caloria,” Shinou says, finally breaking his silence. “It’s been thousands of years since I last set foot on that land. And, there is no danger of my accidentally opening the box, as Lord Sage ensured so long ago.”

Murata ignores the pointed look Shinou sends him. “Surely you have other things to do besides waste time gallivanting around the planet making trouble for people who are just trying to get through the day.”

“Honestly, Lord Sage. When do I ever make trouble for anyone?”

“Every day.”

Shinou laughs and for the first time I feel as if it’s genuine. “Ah, you say the original Sage is gone forever, but that was very much something he would say to me.”

“Well then, take this as coming from him: stay here in the kingdom where we can keep an eye on how much you’re meddling.”

“Wolfram can do that. And unlike your Yuuri, I have no prior engagements tying me down. I also do not require anyone’s permission.”

Murata frowns at him, but we all know that Shinou outranks everyone despite his insistence that he won’t be issuing any orders. Barring him from leaving would be like disobeying god.

“Then I’ll go along with you.”

“You can’t possibly! Your Yuuri needs you here to deal with the nobility. He’s a popular king, but he’s got a little too much naive positivity to be left alone with those jackals. No offense intended, of course.” The way he said that sounded full of offense. “Besides, Wolfram and I still have catching up to do and you’ll just get in the way. Unless of course, you’re worried I will ruin the mission.”

“Now that you mention it, I _am_.”

“You wound me. Did you forget the armies I commanded to liberate the world all those years ago?”

“No, but like you said. That was thousands of years ago. Since then you’ve been sitting in a temple spying on random people and meddling with their lives.”

“You make it sound dirty.”

“Untrustworthy, more like.”

“Well since Wolfram will lead this mission, why don’t we let him decide?”

Shinou and Wolf silently stare at each other, Shinou with a wicked grin and Wolf with some indiscernible emotion.

“It’ll be fine with just me and him,” Wolfram says. “Your Highness need not worry yourself.”

Murata lets out a long and rude sigh of frustration. “Lord von Bielefeld, with all due respect, you don’t have the authority to prevent me from accompanying the team.”

“Okay! Everyone stop!” I hold up my hands. “Can we please stop arguing? I feel like that’s all we’ve been doing since I came home.”

“Well then Yuuri, now would be the time to take control of your meeting room,” Shinou prompts.

He’s right.

I take a deep breath. “Since I actually do need to stay for Conrad, the next best person to go is Wolf. And Murata, I need you here because you’re the best at explaining things I don’t understand. Finally, Shinou can go wherever he wants because of who he is. There’s nothing to debate.”

“Shibuya, I’m impressed you managed to activate King Mode, but I wish you would have chosen a different time to introduce us to this new personality.”

“I’ve activated it before…”

“Then keep it switched on. Lord von Voltaire, Lord von Christ, and Lord Weller all need to remain here for the inquiry. So, you should designate someone else to send along just to keep an eye on things.”

He’s giving me an intense look and I imagine he’s trying to tell me something telepathically. It must be about what he said the day we got back.

_‘Don’t listen to anything he says, Shibuya. He always has an angle and he wants all the boxes for himself.’_

“I trust Wolf.”

I lock eyes with Wolfram across the table and the look he gives me is filled with a range of emotions, but pride is shining through.

“I live to serve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! Life is insane right now, but I'm gonna try and finish allll of today's work before it gets too late and then maybe I'll read through the next chapter to post. I dunno. Maybe I shouldn't be making a record of my possible failure here XDD


	7. ~7~

Lord von Bielefeld wanders the halls of the castle lost in his thoughts — a privilege given the current circumstances. These past few days he’s dodged Shinou by spending time with his daughter. He isn’t entirely proud of using her as a shield like that, but Shinou will only leave him alone when he’s with her or Yuuri — and Wolfram has been trying to avoid being alone with _him_ , too. Greta has school and other duties during the day, however, so it’s only a matter of time before someone tracks him down for some matter or another and leaves him open for Shinou to drag back to the temple for last-minute training. 

In short, Wolfram is currently hiding. Avoiding responsibility is something he has never done before, and the guilt from doing so is almost worse than what he’s avoiding. Almost, but not quite.

He stops near a seldom-used staircase and leans against the wall, letting his body rest. A bone-deep weariness weighs his arms and legs down. Food and sleep are what he really needs, but this quiet moment will have to do for now. Not that he’d be able to sleep, anyway. There’s too much on his mind.

Ever since he agreed to let Shinou accompany him to Caloria, everyone except for Yuuri has privately pulled him aside to express their concerns about his safety handling a forbidden box or him travelling with Shinou. Those concerns are all valid, of course, but Wolfram is in a difficult position. 

Yuuri wants the boxes gone, Shinou wants the boxes for himself, and Wolfram is in between them.

Yuuri put his trust in him and Wolfram wants to honor that trust although he isn’t sure he can. Even though his loyalty lies with his king, from a political standpoint, Shinou’s wishes supersede Yuuri’s. Adding to that, there is a clear logic to the argument Shinou makes about the boxes. If they truly are indestructible, having them under the control of someone who will not use them is better than having them out in the open where anything could happen. What if the boxes drift away after sinking them? What if they cause a dangerous anomaly in the ocean that draws the attention of the other kingdoms? The Mirror of the Deep Waters was sinking a city. The End of the Land caused enough houseki to appear in Svelera to form the basis of their entire economy. Having the boxes on mazoku lands under the watchful eyes of priestesses is objectively safer.

Yuuri is too stubborn to discuss something like that, though. Luckily, the third brother has gotten good at avoiding being alone with Yuuri long enough for the black-haired teen to ask serious questions. Whether or not to destroy the boxes is just one more subject to avoid. Not that he is afraid of having an argument with his king — in fact, he has to argue with him quite often to make sure Yuuri stays safe and makes sound political decisions. What he doesn’t want to do is make the mission looming on the horizon more difficult. If Yuuri encourages him, if he expresses how much faith he holds in his abilities, if he looks at him with that unyielding trust he always reserves for Wolfram, following Shinou’s orders will be all the more difficult.

The shame of that dishonesty is already weighing on him, but right now he has no choice. Shinou is not to be disobeyed. He can do anything to Yuuri or his loved ones without consequence. He can very well murder the king in broad daylight and it will be his right to do so. The only comforting thought is that Shinou won’t actually dispose of a key already in his hands despite his insinuations to the contrary. If he lashes out at Yuuri, Wolfram is reasonably sure it will be political. One word can remove Yuuri from the throne and send him back to Earth until Shinou needs him.

Besides Wolfram’s own selfish reasons to want Yuuri to stay, there is so much that Yuuri is doing for Shin Makoku. How many alliances and social programs would simply dissolve if Shinou banished him? Of course, Wolfram’s brothers and Gunter would stand against him, but would anyone else in the kingdom side with them against a man worshipped like a god?

No, it’s better for everyone if Wolfram keeps up the lie. That way Yuuri will never have to worry about all of this and the people will never find out that Shinou is an arrogant and conniving man.

The priestesses, the Royal Tutor, the three brothers, and the assorted castle inhabitants who know of Shinou’s reappearance are all working hard to make sure he stays a secret and by some miracle are succeeding despite the amount of people involved. As a further blessing, Shinou himself has no real desire to take center stage. His only interest is to secure the boxes he believes belong to him.

And maybe they do.

But that doesn’t matter to Wolfram. His loyalty lies with his king and his king does not want anyone to have the boxes… which is why Wolfram is currently wandering the halls lost in thought.

Is there a way to get Yuuri what he wants without Shinou knowing?

There is one benefit to Shinou having a body. Now he can’t watch over everyone like an unseen eye. He can only perceive what his physical body perceives. Because of this, Wolfram has recently been toying with the idea of replacing the boxes with forgeries like they did in Big Shimaron.

Not that he has any opportunity to try. The boxes are sealed away in the Temple of the True King. No man is allowed inside except for Shinou the True King himself and anyone he personally designates as worthy. Wolfram enters the temple frequently nowadays, but always accompanied by Shinou and never left unsupervised. Getting inside alone and without being seen is outside of his skill set. Things like that fall more under Gurrier’s expertise, but he’s not doing much of anything lately.

Not to mention, Wolfram isn’t sure he can retrieve the boxes without help even if the path to them is completely open.

He thinks of the allure the Inferno on the Tundra calls out to him with. It feels like there is another man inside of him guiding his movements, someone who knows the box intimately and is confident he can control it. A burning need to bend that power to his will thrums through every cell of his body and blocks out everything else. According to the Great Sage, Yuuri experienced something similar. The feeling is disgusting. Wolfram’s skin crawls just remembering.

That is the main reason Shinou allows him into the temple — to test Wolfram’s ability to resist the box’s pull. So far, Wolfram has failed every time. Even sitting in an adjacent room is unbearable and his feet move of their own accord before Shinou strikes him to the ground. More than once, the larger man had to physically drag him away kicking and grabbing at whatever he could use to pull himself forward. Shinou claims he is improving, but Wolfram doesn’t see how.

“You called?”

Wolfram’s head snaps up from where it was falling to his chest. His hand is halfway to his sword before he places the voice.

“I didn’t call for you.”

His blond tormentor is standing there, arms crossed and an amused grin on his lips. Wolfram didn’t hear him approach at all.

“With the way you’re frowning, your thoughts are undoubtedly on me.”

“As Yuuri says, ‘speak of the _debble_ and he will appear.’”

“What’s a _debble_?”

“Something bad.”

“You wound me.” Shinou places a hand to his chest in mock sadness.

Wolfram clicks his tongue and walks away. He is dismayed to hear the other man follow behind.

“You’re not having doubts, are you?” Shinou asks.

“About what?”

“You know what.”

The silence hangs.

“It must hurt having to lie to a loved one. I feel your pain.”

Wolfram gives an incredulous snort.

“No, I do. I’ve lost many I held dear in the name of the greater good.”

“By ‘greater good,’ do you mean your own greedy self-interests?”

“Wolfram, my only self-interests are to see Shin Makoku prosper. I don’t have any need for material comforts or prestige. While I admit they can be nice, I had enough of those things in my youth. Comfort and luxury are poisons.”

Those words would sound facetious from anyone else, but they might actually be genuine coming from this man. Even though most of what Wolfram was taught as a child is not measuring up to the man in front of him, no one ever described Shinou as extravagant and that is the one thing he has not contradicted by his behavior. Now that Wolfram thinks about it, this aspect of Shinou is further evidenced by the relative lack of decoration and frivolity found here compared to other castles.

That one virtue isn’t enough to make Wolfram think favorably of the man, though.

“I suppose you had a reason for seeking me out besides mockery and questioning my resolve?”

“Ah yes, the head of the Bielefeld family has arrived and was wondering why you were not there to greet him in the audience chamber.”

Wolfram frowns. His uncle and the other nobles aren’t due to arrive until tomorrow. He isn’t prepared to deal with him right now. He was hoping to use the excuse of leaving for Caloria as a way to get out of sitting with his uncle for dinner.

“It seems that everyone arrived a day earlier because of a storm due tonight. What a shame.”

As usual, Shinou cuts right to what is weighing on Wolfram’s mind and sends a jolt of irritation down the younger man’s spine.

“It’s not like you to play the messenger,” Wolfram retorts, trying to take a jab at him.

“When all you can do is watch the world happen for thousands of years, every role you can fill brings you joy.”

For the briefest of moments, Wolfram believes that statement. But, there is still a hint of cynicism in Shinou’s voice. It’s more likely he wanted to watch Wolfram suffer under the scrutiny of his uncle. Wolfram doesn’t know how closely Shinou examined his family life, but if he somehow found out about Waltorana’s objections to his engagement to Yuuri, Shinou wouldn’t miss poking at that — and not for harassment’s sake, but because it’s something else he can hold over Wolfram’s head. He quickly learned over the past few months that the way Shinou wants to have the boxes at his side is how he approaches everything in life. As much as he casts aside ‘luxury’ and ‘comfort,’ he clings to any scrap of power and leverage he can get his hands on.

All the more reason he shouldn’t get his way.

Wolfram will find his opportunity. Even if that opportunity includes smashing that maryoku bottle sustaining Shinou’s body and sending him back to wherever he came from.


	8. ~8~

Minus Stuffel, who is still confined to his territory for various derelictions of duty, I’m introduced to all the nobles for the third time since becoming the Maou.

And I still can’t remember all their names.

There is some progress, though! Lady von Rochefort’s name is Yvonne and I learned Waltorana recently. That brings me up to knowing more than half, but there’s no way I can ask the other four for their names _again_. I suppose it wouldn’t be strange to refer to the heads of houses by their titles…

Oh, but what should I call Voltaire’s representative? One of Gwendal’s aunts was asked to sit in for him after he ended up barred from the inquiry at the last minute for being Conrad’s brother. While there’s no way I’ll mistake her for anyone else because of the strong family resemblance — uncanny all the way down to the piercing glare she gives me when I stumble over my words — she hasn’t taken a military rank like the others and apparently should not be addressed as ‘Lady.’ Is Mrs. von Voltaire okay? This is way too complicated! Is this what foreigners feel like when they come to Japan!?

Okay, never mind that. You have an important job to do right now.

Gunter coached me beforehand on how to watch everyone’s behavior when they introduce themselves and told me to check who they speak with afterwards to see if they support my side of the argument.

As a catcher, my most important duty is to study the other players and get a feel for the entire field so this is something I can handle!… or rather that’s how Murata framed it for me. The elegant and extravagantly clothed nobles in this room couldn’t be further removed from the guys running around on our dirt lot baseball field. I feel like I’m in a room filled with millionaire fashion designers.

Fashion aside, it’s true I’ve always considered myself an excellent judge of character and it is immediately obvious that Lady von Rochefort Yvonne and Lord von Radford are the most annoyed by the situation. Gunter fills me in on everyone’s background in between introductions and according to him, Yvonne doesn’t like anything that disrupts her schedule so calling her to the castle from the furthest territory for the second time in four months was never going to go well. He theorizes that Conrad’s fate is mostly irrelevant to her. As for Lord von Radford, he’s one of our kingdom’s most prestigious soldiers and a man who holds the military in the highest esteem, taking pride in the quality of soldiers his territory provides. He is deeply insulted that a decorated war hero like Conrad would dare work for Big Shimaron regardless of the reasons.

Despite _those_ worrying revelations, Waltorana is the most troubling. He is the picture of propriety when he interacts with me, but Gunter whispers in my ear not to be swayed by polite actions in public places. When I ask what he means, he simply frowns and flounders about for a way to answer before Lord von Gyllenhaal interrupts us by introducing himself. Gunter flounders about all the time if he’s gushing over how amazing I am, but for him to hesitate over a serious matter means it must be _really_ serious.

After the introductions are over and everyone is speaking amongst themselves, Lord von Grantz approaches me. I recognized him earlier as Adalbert’s father by that butt-shaped chin even before he introduced himself.

He bows before speaking with some hesitation. “Your Majesty, my deepest apologies for being unable to attend or send a representative to the round table meeting several months ago. Our family has been saddled with an excess of legislative tasks recently, so it is difficult to leave the territory unattended.”

“Don’t worry! I’m sure you have a lot to take care of with an important member of your family living abroad.”

Living abroad is the kindest way I can describe his son abandoning his people and finding a way to not be mazoku anymore.

“Yes, we have been searching for an appropriate heir to take over as the head of the family for quite some time now, but… well, I suppose a part of us hopes Adalbert will come home eventually.” He clears his throat. “Speaking of which, I hear my son has taken up a special mission for you in Seisakoku?”

“Oh, yes! He sort of ended up as a local hero so he’s helping us maintain an open line of communication. Oh, and he’s also helping a resistance movement to free shinzoku slaves!”

“Is that so? I hope he is performing to Your Majesty’s standards.”

“Of course! I mean, we didn’t get along in the beginning, but he’s a good guy! And even though he puts snarky messages in his reports, Gwendal says he’s really good at administrative work. Probably because of how well you taught him.”

Lord von Grantz smiles and thanks me for my kind words. I wish I remembered his name.

“Is he well?” There is genuine concern in his voice and I realize he hasn’t seen his son for almost twenty years. I need to remember to have Gwendal send Adalbert a scathing letter for not staying in contact with his family!

“He’s doing great! In fact, I hear he has a tough daughter and two cute grandchildren to look after now!”

“What!?”

I can’t identify what type of shock is all over his face, so I try to cover up my words in any way possible. “They’re all adopted! He definitely did not get up to anything salacious out there with the shinzoku!”

The shock on his face arranges into a less severe expression and resembles something pensive.

“I see. So he’s found some happiness out there in the world. I’d hoped… Do you suppose he will visit?”

“I hope so. I told him he was allowed back home any time he wanted.”

“Your Majesty truly is kind.”

When Lord von Grantz walks away, I catch Waltorana’s eyes from across the room. There is an animosity there that startles me and he does nothing to hide it until he turns his head away.

This is ridiculous. Someone needs to explain what’s going on with that man. No more dodging my questions. Wolfram will always tell it to me straight if I can get him to talk.

Speaking of Wolfram, where is he?

My eyes roam over the faces in the room, but that familiar honey blonde hair is nowhere to be seen — at least, not on the person I’m looking for. In fact, Gwendal and Gunter are the only ones on Team Blood Pledge here. Are Conrad and Wolfram talking together somewhere?

At the first opportunity I can find, I slip out a side door and start searching the castle for the two of them. No one is around besides maids and random soldiers. After ten minutes, I decide I should probably go back to the audience hall before people notice I’m missing.

That’s when Wolf finds me.

“Yuuri! What are you _doing_ out here!?”

I cringe at the anger in that voice and turn around slowly. “Wolf, it’s not what it looks like…”

“It looks like you walked out on a room full of the most powerful people in the kingdom to go wandering around the castle!”

“I’m not wandering! I was looking for you!”

Wolfram lets his breath out in a huff. “Well, you should have been more patient. I’m on my way there now to pay my respects to my uncle.”

“Then I’ll walk with you.”

Strangely, he glances behind himself before leading me back to the audience hall with long strides. Something about his demeanor is agitated. Asking him about it would result in him saying, “Because you’re embarrassing me and my brother by behaving like this!” so I ask the question I sought him out for.

“Hey Wolf, is there something I should know about your uncle? You’re all being weird about it, but I think it’s time to explain since you’re leaving me alone with him tomorrow.”

Wolf doesn’t answer right away and his lips tighten.

“He doesn’t like that we’re engaged.”

“What? Because we’re both men?”

“No? Why would that be a problem?”

“Is it the age difference?”

“Yuuri… it’s better if you don’t know why. Just know he’s not fond of the idea.”

“If there’s a problem, shouldn’t we all sit down and talk about it? I mean, I guess it is kind of rude to get engaged to someone and then never visit their family. We should all have dinner together before you leave! Me, you, and Greta.”

“No!” He takes a moment to regain his composure. “No, with Uncle it’s really best you avoid speaking with him whenever possible. After my father died, he took over raising me and he’s a little overprotective.”

“But if we’re gonna be family, shouldn’t we work on having a good relationship?”

He pauses at the door to the audience hall and gives me a pained smile. “So you’re finally taking our engagement seriously?”

“I-! That’s, I mean we-…” 

Wolframs sighs, but the smile on his face is genuine now. “Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t have asked a rookie such a direct question. It’s okay. I’ll handle things with him.”

And then he pushes open the door and steps inside.

I find and meet Waltorana’s eyes immediately. A trace of that hostility is still there, but as his gaze slides from mine to Wolfram’s, his face softens into the adoration I see on Shouri’s face from time to time.

Now that I know where the animosity towards me is coming from, I don’t know if I’m more relieved or worried. Part of me wants to walk up to him and introduce myself all over again, but as I watch him embrace Wolfram in a tight hug and exchange wide-smiled pleasantries, I decide it’s probably better to leave the two of them alone for now. Wolfram’s leaving tomorrow and might not see his uncle again for months. I can’t risk starting a family fight during the few hours they have together. Besides, this day is going to be long and stressful enough just with the regular schmoozing I need to do without adding complicated family issues into the mix. I’ll have plenty of time to make a good impression on Waltorana in the coming weeks.

“Shibuya, you dog!” Murata says, slapping me on the shoulder.

“Ow!” I say more in surprise than pain. “What was that for?”

“You snuck off to have some love-love time with your fiance right in the middle of the luncheon. How daring!”

My face is on fire. “I did _not_!”

“Really? Well that’s what it looks like and that’s what everyone thinks. You have to start being more careful about what you do.”

I glance around the room in a panic, meeting the eyes of several nobles who immediately look away. “Is that really what they’re thinking!?”

Murata lets out a long, comical sigh. “Maybe it is a good thing I’m staying behind. I never thought you needed _this_ much help. Of _course_ everyone’s going to know where the king is if he’s in a room. Did you really think it wasn’t obvious when you tiptoed out the door?”

That probably didn’t help things with Waltorana…


	9. ~9~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoohoo~ Internet's back~

“For the last time, Yuuri, you can’t postpone the inquiry and come with me now that all the nobles are here at the castle.”

“I know, I know, and I _will_ stay to defend Conrad. It just felt strange not asking again.”

Wolfram regards his fiance with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Try not to feel too left out. Along with the status reports I’ll be sending to Big Brother, I’ll keep you personally updated.”

“All the details?”

“All the details.”

“And you’ll send a letter every day, right?”

“Every _day_?” Wolfram asks.

“Well yeah, you’re-… isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

Wolfram doesn’t understand why Yuuri suddenly looks embarrassed, but he assumes this is some sort of Earth custom he doesn’t know. Trying to smooth over the misunderstanding, he searches for words that won’t further Yuuri’s embarrassment. “Pigeon relays are in towns so I’ll only have three or four opportunities to send anything, but I can _write_ something every day so you’ll have a lot to read when you do get something.”

Yuuri smiles and a moment of silence falls on the two of them. This is the first time they’ve gone separate ways that wasn’t unexpected, full of commotion, or provided only a few seconds to say their goodbyes. They don’t quite know what to say to each other.

“If you want to kiss, no one will see if you step behind this horse,” Shinou interjects. Neither of them knew he was standing so close and they both jump.

Yuuri blushes bright red and starts stammering something that Wolfram can’t understand.

“Kissing in public is unbefitting behavior for a king,” Wolfram says, trying to cover up Yuuri’s distress.

“Is it really?” Shinou asks with the barest hint of mockery. “I can keep a secret.”

“I’d rather you keep your distance,” Wolfram says. “Shouldn’t you be introducing yourself to our companions?”

The companions in question are already on their horses a distance away, attempting to give their king a measure of privacy that Shinou is not affording him. They’re both casting irritated glances in his direction, unaware of his identity.

“For the moment, I’m forced to be a mystery,” Shinou says. “At least until we have a talk.”

Perhaps sensing that it was time to part ways, Yuuri casts a glance at Shinou before placing his hands on Wolfram’s shoulders in an awkward show of affection.

“Be safe, okay?”

“Of course. What else would I be?”

Yuuri’s responding smile is open and bright, just like everything else about him. Not that he will ever ignore his pride long enough to admit it, but the sight warms Wolfram’s heart.

“And you, rookie, don’t let the nobles beat you down.”

“Stop calling me rookie,” Yuuri says, but Wolfram knows he’s not actually bothered by it. “I’ve got Murata, Gwendal, and Gunter to back me up, so don’t worry. I’ll take care of your brother.”

Something inside of Wolfram reacts to Yuuri referring to Conrart as his brother. Yuuri is the only one that does so. Not even their mother will say that so directly, at least in Wolfram’s presence. She’ll always say ‘my son’ or refer to Conrart by name when speaking around Wolfram. He has no reason to believe she acts differently when not in his presence. Part of him loves that Yuuri doesn’t draw lines along racial barriers, but another part of him fears Yuuri’s naive acceptance will work against him at the inquiry.

Since he’s about to sail halfway across the world, Wolfram can only trust that Yuuri will stumble his way through this okay. He’s never failed them before. Still, there’s a heaviness on his mind as he rides away that he can’t entirely blame on the task before him.

Because the party are all experienced riders, the journey to the port in Karbelnikoff only takes twelve hours despite the muddy roads and debris from the storm that whipped through earlier. Not even Shinou holds them up despite this being the first time since getting a body that he’s run a horse.

Even with their speed, though, the sun is almost completely under the horizon by the time they load their meagre supplies onto the ship and the stars are in full view once they get out into open water.

A familiar sulfuric smell tells Wolfram that one of Anissina’s ma-powered engines is installed in this ship even before it picks up speed. At least this journey won’t be as long as he expected.

At the moment there is nothing to do but wait for the three day journey to be over. Gwendal’s two men dismissed themselves to their cabin after dinner and Shinou disappeared somewhere. Wolfram tried to get some rest as well, but even though the captain of the ship outfitted one of the bunk rooms into something approaching fancy for his noble guest, Wolfram can’t tolerate the still air inside. Instead, he hangs over a railing, forcing fresh air into his lungs to keep the nausea at bay.

“Ah, Wolfram! There you are!”

The wave of irritation that sweeps over him at that voice causes him to dry heave and Shinou actually takes a step back in surprise.

“Ah. This is unpleasant,” Shinou says with distaste. “You weren’t ill the last time we were on a ship. Is this nerves or was last time a fluke?”

“Mind your- ugh. Mind your business.”

“This is my business. If we need to dispatch witnesses on this ship, you’ll be less than useless.”

Shinou’s words send a deep chill through Wolfram’s body before settling in his gut. His knuckles whiten as he grips the railing.

“We won’t need to _dispatch_ witnesses.”

“Hopefully you’re right!” The smile he gives Wolfram is full of facetiousness and mockery, completely unlike Yuuri’s. “Unlikely, but let’s move on to happier topics! I need a name.”

“What?”

“Well I’d prefer if these men didn’t know who I was, so you can’t go around calling me by my title — or my real name for that matter. So, I need a name. I was hoping to have this discussion at the castle, but I kindly allowed you to have some personal time instead.

Wolfram just rolls his eyes.

“So, name.” Shinou leans on the railing next to him. “I was thinking about Bode.”

“Isn’t that a little arrogant?” That name is for people who command respect. Respect is something Wolfram will never have for Shinou again.

Shinou considers that for a moment. “Then how about Aldo? A comrade of mine held that name.”

That name is so ancient, Wolfram’s dead great-grandfather would think it was too old-fashioned. He keeps that to himself.

“Short and easy to remember,” he says instead.

“It’s decided then! Oh, and his family name was Hahn. Hahn Aldo.”

Adding the family name makes him seem like a foreigner and might make the others distrust him, but Wolfram doesn’t care. As far as he’s concerned, the less his brother’s men interact with Shinou, the better.

“If you’re… ugh, if you’re going to be a common soldier, you can’t call me Wolfram anymore. It’s Lord von Bielefeld or Your Excellency.”

“Noted, but when it’s just the two of us, no one will care.”

Wolfram cares, but he also knows that no one has the authority to demand anything of Shinou.

The man in question looks around before leaning closer and lowering his voice. “Now on to more important topics while the two of us are alone. What are your intentions towards my box?”

My box. He said _my_ box. 

“I have no intentions.”

“Don’t lie. I know how much you want to respect your beloved’s wishes. Shall I go through your options?” He holds up a pale finger, almost ghostly in the moonlight. 

If only he were still a ghost. 

“One, you can ‘fail’ to find the box long enough that our little search party goes home — personally, I would be disappointed if you chose this option for its sheer stupidity. Two, you can make a fake box to fool me with and dispose of the real one on the journey home. Three, you can kill me and pretend that I was lost in a tragic accident. Four, you can play the long game by actually bringing the box home and then attempting to steal it from my temple. And lastly, and most dramatically, we can recover the box, but you sink the entire ship, sacrificing yourself and the rest of us to lose the box in the ocean forever.”

Wolfram doesn’t respond since he has considered several of these options in the past few weeks.

“Seeing as we have a certain… disagreement with each other, I worry you might choose option three. Let me remind you that I will simply return to the realm I existed in before if you destroy this body. The realm where I can move Yuuri in between worlds at will. He may have grown powerful enough to travel through the corridor on his own, but how many trips can his body support before it fails him?”

Rage boils within Wolfram at yet another brazen threat towards Yuuri’s life. While he still suspects threats like this are only to intimidate him, he still has to hold his anger in just in case. For the time being, it's better if Shinou believes he has his obedience and fear.

“Like I said,” Wolfram says, “I have no intentions towards the box. My job is simply to locate it. Do with it as you will.”

Shinou smirks with patronizing disbelief, but Wolfram doesn’t intend to give him a reason to turn serious. Let Shinou underestimate him for as long as possible. That should give him enough time to think of a plausible course of action to discard of the box that won’t risk Yuuri’s safety.

But after weeks of consideration, Wolfram isn’t sure he’ll ever have an answer.


	10. ~10~

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to personally see to these foolish demands. This will only weaken your position when you appear at the inquiry.”

I lower the yellow pillows I’m holding and sigh. Lord von Gyllenhaal complained that his quarters are too drab and dreary and demanded something to brighten the space up. Part of me is crying out for the reprieve of deciding whether bright marigold or sunshine is a happier shade of identical yellow, but the other part of me wants everyone to be in as good a mood as possible for the upcoming inquiry.

“It’s not foolish if it gives us an advantage,” I say.

“Your Majesty, you are of course both sagacious and the very picture of a benignant king, but your humble servant fails to see how catering to these boorish and disrespectful demands will give us an advantage.”

“It’s all about being a proper host. Now can I get your opinion on these colors?”

Gunter frowns at the pillows, obviously holding back his comments, which is frustrating because he’s better at this sort of thing than I am. That’s the entire reason I called him in here.

“Come on, Gunter! The luncheon you organized for that charity was beautiful so this should be easy!”

“It warms my heart to hear such praise! I, Gunter, aim only to please! Be it pillows or throw rugs, I will happily recommend the best hue to accommodate your needs!” His eyes and nose start leaking with joy. I snatch the pillows away to keep them out of the crossfire.

“Okay, okay! Just don’t get gun-juice everywhere!”

There’s a knock at the door just as Gunter starts crying happy ‘tears’ into a handkerchief. When I see who it is, the tension in my body rushes out in relief. 

“Conrad!”

“Your Majesty,” he greets. He looks tired, but still has that familiar, charming smile plastered over his face. It’s strange seeing him wander the castle in civilian clothes, but today he’s even forsaken his sword. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him unarmed outside of a bath or a prison cell.

“Did you need something?” A thought occurs to me. “Are the nobles giving you trouble, too?”

“Too?” He eyes the color swatches and various linens spread across the meeting table. “Are you redecorating?”

“Some of our rooms are gloomy, apparently,” I say with a defeated sigh.

He takes a pillow from my hand, I don’t even remember which yellow it is anymore, and places it down on the table. “Your Majesty, did one of the nobles come to you directly to complain?”

“No, I just overheard some maids worrying about it.”

“Ah, then I suggest leaving it to the maids. The nobles will flex their power over the next few weeks to see how far they can push. If they know they can demand your attention over something as trivial as this, they will not take you seriously as their king. Not only for this inquiry, but for any demands you make of them in the future.”

I drop the other pillow with the longest sigh I can manage. “Why didn’t Gunter tell me that an hour ago?”

“I did, Your Majesty…” There are new tears forming in Gunter’s eyes.

“Ahah, sorry.”

Conrad ushers me out of the room before Gunter cries in earnest and the two of us meander in the general direction of the courtyard. It’s been a really long time since we last played catch, but with so many extra people taking up residence here, the courtyard is too crowded at this time of day to throw a ball around.

In fact, once we reach it, Conrad steers us away down a seldom used corridor I recognize as the path to the kumahachi nest.

“You seem troubled,” he says once we’re standing in a relatively empty area.

I stuff my hands into my pockets and glance down the hall where I can just make out the entrance to a small garden.

“Conrad, did I make the right decision with all this? I mean, was it really dumb to think I could convince these people of anything? Was this what you wanted?”

“Whatever allows me to best serve you, Your Majesty.”

“No, don’t do that thing you always do. What do _you_ want?”

He looks at me with that refreshing smile of his frozen on his face, but I can tell he’s debating his words. “Yuuri… I never expected to be allowed back home, so anything that happens is more than I could ask for. My only concern is how you will be affected by all of this.”

“I really wish you would stop doing that. Can’t you be a little selfish every once in a while?”

“I am a very selfish man.”

That can’t possibly be true, but I know how good Conrad is at leading you in circles when he doesn’t want to tell you something. So, I reluctantly change the subject.

“Wolfram should have made it to Caloria by now. I wonder if he’s doing okay.”

“You don’t need to worry about Wolfram, Your Majesty. He is a skilled soldier accompanied by some of Gwen’s finest men.”

“I know, but… I still keep thinking about him. Murata said the box could burn his heart out of his chest. And then…”

“And then?”

I look into Conrad’s silver-flecked eyes, wondering how religious he is. I know he performed at least one ritual in front of me the day he lost his arm. The memory of that incident rushes into my brain and constricts my chest, but I will it away and take a deep breath.

Even if Conrad is incredibly devout, surely he will understand my concerns now.

“I don’t trust Shinou,” I confide in him.

There is no reaction on his face and I’m afraid I really did insult his faith before he speaks.

“Neither do I. But right now he is simply a man and Wolfram is already cautious of him. Shinou is nothing he can’t handle.”

“You think so? Isn’t he supposed to be the most powerful man on the planet?”

Conrad’s smile widens into what seems like a genuine one. “Would the world’s most powerful man need one of Anissina’s devices to supply him with enough maryoku to exist? I imagine his current abilities are limited to his knowledge of tactics and battle. Wolfram may have mostly been in charge of logistics and supplies during the war, but he still has considerable combat experience and his maryoku abilities are considered elite.”

Elite, huh?

“Sometimes I forget how great Wolf is at things. Lately I feel like he’s going to leave me behind.”

“He would never do such a thing.”

“I don’t mean he’ll disappear somewhere. I mean more like, he’ll just be too far away to reach.”

“You fear Wolfram will grow up faster than you.”

“I guess.”

“You shouldn’t worry about that. The only thing you lack is confidence. Besides, Wolfram took several decades to get where he is right now. I’d say he has more reason to fear being left behind.”

His words aren’t very comforting. It’s hard to imagine Wolfram being afraid — well, at least about something serious. Not to mention, Conrad just pointed out a fact I keep forgetting. Wolfram is 83. I’m engaged to an 83-year-old. My mother would cry. Actually, no. Mom would be too busy fussing over how beautiful Wolf is to even think of asking his age. Shouri, on the other hand, would lose his mind.

Conrad is watching my panic with a content smile, but it melts off his face when something behind me catches his gaze. His back straightens and his hand wanders to where his sword usually hangs, hesitating for the briefest of moments at the empty space. His reaction to whatever it is seems overblown since we’re in a public area of the castle.

Unless it’s an assassin!

I whip around at the thought, but no, it’s not an assassin. I kind of wish it was, though.

“What is this? A secret tryst? Not an ideal spot for that,” Waltorana says. Unlike most of the other nobles, he casually wears his territory’s military uniform around the castle.

“We were just talking,” I answer.

Waltorana gives a low laugh through his nose. “Forgive my concern. With how quickly you became engaged to my nephew, there is the fear that you have a fickle heart. I wonder if that’s a trait you people possess.”

“Lord von Bielefeld, you forget your station,” Conrad says, a hard edge creeping into his voice.

“As do you, Lord Weller.” The way he says ‘Lord’ almost makes it sound like an insult. “But perhaps I did overstep a boundary. My apologies, Your Majesty. Please enjoy your _talk_.”

With a small bow, Waltorana turns around and leaves us alone in the hallway.

“‘You people?’ What did he mean by that?”

“Please don’t trouble yourself with his words. Like I said earlier, the nobles will be testing how far they can push.”

I let out a small wail of despair. “That was a test? I barely even noticed. I’m going to get eaten alive!”

“You’ll do fine, Your Majesty. You’re stubborn enough to push through this inquiry and come out the other side just fine.”

“Stubborn? Are you pushing boundaries now, too!?”

He just laughs in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while! ^-^;;;;;


	11. ~11~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been busy lately~ This one was fun to edit, though~

There is actual wonder on Shinou’s face as the party docks in the port city of Gilbit. He must have been telling the truth when he said he was looking forward to seeing how Caloria changed over the ages. Even as the group climbs into a carriage, he runs his hands along the carved designs, studying the woodwork with a look of fascination.

Wolfram admits to himself that he had also been looking forward to visiting again. He surveys the port city with growing relief as the carriage takes them to the Gilbit Manor. The reconstruction is going well. The last time he was here, most of the city was rubble and Flynn Gilbit was trying to gather her governors from the other provinces to send aid while her people lived in makeshift tents.

An impressive amount of progress has been made and Wolfram is glad to see it. Yuuri devoted considerable resources into this project and much of the work here was done by mazoku hands. Wolfram has always taken pride in the accomplishments of his people down to the most rudimentary of children’s drawings, but rebuilding this much of a city this size in only a few short months is objectively stunning. He makes a mental note to remember as much as he can to tell Yuuri about later.

Once they arrive at the manor, a servant leads them to a waiting room where maids offer them refreshments, but the party all refuses.

Wolfram isn’t particularly impressed with the decor, especially since he’s seen it before, but the others meander around the room looking at the plethora of silver and gold tapestries and craning their necks up at the painted, domed ceiling. Shinou’s words from earlier in the week float up in Wolfram’s mind as he gazes out at the manor grounds through gold-plated doors with a growing sense of unease.

_‘Comfort and luxury are poisons.’_

Bielefeld’s castle is much the same as this: gold embellishments on every wooden surface, marble floors, art and trophies taking up all available walls, embroidered silk curtains, scattered floral arrangements. Wolfram grew up surrounded by extravagance. Even when he lived with his mother in Blood Pledge Castle’s decidedly utilitarian stone halls, her frequent parties saw Wolfram buried in finery nearly every day. Now it feels alien.

Yuuri has never allowed tax money to be spent in such a way. In the past year since Wolfram’s mother stepped down, Yuuri hasn’t held any grand parties or balls at Blood Pledge outside of the expected traditional holidays. Others will occasionally suggest some reason to celebrate or an area to redecorate, but Yuuri will always refuse saying that it’s not fair to the people who earned the money.

Sometime while spending his days at Yuuri’s side, this opulence Wolfram grew up with began to feel cluttered, claustrophobic, and dishonest.

Although, there’s another reason he’s not thrilled to be in this manor, and she appears after making them wait almost a full half-hour. 

Flynn Gilbit enters the waiting room wearing clothes of much higher quality than the last time Wolfram saw her, but there is still a simplicity to her blue dress with silver edging. Her platinum blonde hair is plaited into braids and twists and pinned high on her head with a silver hairpin. The hardness in her face from the years of being under Shimaronian rule has softened in these past few months and a natural, healthy glow is coloring her skin that’s finally free of her husband’s mask. Even Wolfram has to admit she is a truly beautiful woman. For a human.

As the leader of this mission, it is his responsibility to greet her. He feels little more than resentment towards her, however. Yuuri stayed Wolfram's hand from slaying Flynn more than once for daring to abduct his king to _sell_ to Big Shimaron and even now Wolfram feels his hand itching to rest on his blade. He would never go through with it, though. He knows how much Yuuri admires and respects this woman and she has unfortunately earned some of it. Not everyone can control a territory in secret while ruled over by an authoritarian power like Small Shimaron. It’s this begrudging admission and decades of political schooling that keeps his face and voice diplomatic.

Flynn keeps her own greeting short and professional and skips the expected pleasantries.

“I apologize for making you travel such a long way with so little information, Lord von Bielefeld, but Small Shimaron has been harassing our shipment crews and intercepting random mail and cargo leaving Caloria. Constant reminders that they used to own us, if you will.”

“I understand. You _do_ have information regarding the box’s whereabouts, right?”

Instead of answering she says, “Why don’t we sit down?”

She moves to a large wooden table with intricate golden inlays embedded all over the surface. Her butler — Baker, if Wolfram remembers correctly — assumes his place at her side. Shinou sits to Wolfram’s left, but Gwendal’s two men remain standing at a distance.

“How much did Yuuri tell you about my past?”

“You have no right to refer to our king so casually,” Wolfram snaps, unable to hold his tongue. Yuuri would probably get flustered if he heard Wolfram’s words, but he isn’t here right now.

“My apologies. His Majesty Yuuri,” she amends without indignation.

“His Majesty has shared nothing about your past aside from how you ruled this land before meeting you.”

“I see.” She folds her thin fingers together on the table. “I was raised in a military facility farther inland in an area that is still within Small Shimaron’s borders. My father is the leader of an organization that trains soldiers from conquered territories for Small Shimaron’s army.”

Wolfram has heard of this group before. Yuuri mentioned them once while relating the path he, the Great Sage, and Flynn took to Big Shimaron and how they were almost arrested. He called the group the Plainsmen. Yuuri spent more time talking about the sheep that saved the trio, however.

Flynn continues. “They are the ones who have the End of the Land.”

“Well, that was disappointingly straightforward,” Shinou mutters under his breath. Wolfram ignores him.

“How do you know this? Did your father tell you?” Wolfram asks.

“No, we no longer contact each other. Caloria and the Plainsmen have a complicated history. However, there are several men in my employ who received Plainsmen training in the past and help monitor the organization’s activities now that they’ve returned home. One of them was part of the team that retrieved the box from where it fell that day.”

Wolfram remembers the deep scars left in the earth from the soushu’s power pouring out of the End of Land. The reason they and Yuuri did not retrieve the box at that time was because they not only lacked equipment to rappel down a chasm, but they were blocked from reaching that chasm by the wide swaths of water Yuuri called forth to save people from falling to their deaths. The entire area was an unstable web of rivers and cracks.

“So does this mean you’ve known about the location of the box all this time?” He can’t help the tinge of animosity that creeps into his voice.

“Of course not. Caloria has already suffered from the box’s power and I would not tolerate its presence so near my husband’s country.” Flynn presses her hands flat on the table and takes a second to compose herself. “The Commander has his men slowly bringing Calorian citizens out of the fold and back into our local military. One of those men who returned recently shared this information with us. Apparently, the Plainsmen were planning to bring the box back to Saralegui in exchange for more favor and privileges, but Small Shimaron has been thrown into chaos these past months and a representative from Big Shimaron temporarily stepped in to rule.”

She gives a bitter laugh. “I used to despise how loyal my father was to Small Shimaron’s king, but it’s worked in our favor today. Delivering the box to the capital now would be the same as delivering it to Belal IV himself.”

Shinou chuckles to himself, drawing Flynn’s attention.

“And who is your companion?” she asks with obvious irritation.

“No one import-”

“Hahn Aldo, My Lady,” Shinou interrupts. “Forgive my impropriety, but the fake Belal family has amused me for quite some time.”

“I see.” She regards him with uncertainty, but ultimately turns her attention back to Wolfram. “We know the site it’s being held in and Caloria will supply you with anything you need.”

Wolfram considers this information.

“Since we need to infiltrate the Plainsmen’s stronghold, will any of those men you mentioned consider coming with us? Having someone who knows the layout of the territory would be indispensable.”

“Of course. I’ve already selected some — both of whom you can trust around the box. They were there the day it was opened.”

Flynn names the men that will accompany them as if Wolfram will recognize them and he wonders if they aided Yuuri in some way. The man Yuuri refers to as Commander Mountain Range is not one of them.

After a few more minutes of minor details and political niceties, Flynn dismisses herself and grants Wolfram’s team limited access to her manor.

Maybe-Baker leads them to private quarters and designates a meeting room for them to use to plan their course of action. After which he lets them refresh themselves in the hour before he serves a pretentiously human dinner to them in a private dining room.

His brother’s men are enjoying the comforts the Gilbit Manor has to offer after spending several days sharing a cramped room smelling of sulfur. Wolfram noticed the two of them were wary of Shinou the very first day of their mission, but until now they haven’t needed to be in the same room together. Now he sees that one of them, a pale, redheaded man that looks to be in his 110’s, is clearly unhappy with Shinou’s presence and not making any effort to hide his suspicious looks.

It’s to be expected. Shinou may have promised to act like a commoner, but he was lying or he’s completely incapable. Even when he manages to temper his arrogance, there’s something a little off with the way he pronounces words. Wolfram knows it’s probably due to Shinou’s age and the dialects he grew up speaking, but to others he must surely sound like a foreigner.

These misgivings are more apparent when Shinou joins them in the meeting room to formulate their plan of action. It doesn’t help that he’s lounging in a chair not built for lounging. The way he has his legs thrown over the hard, skinny armrests can’t be anything but painful so he’s obviously doing so for show.

Wolfram, however, has gotten quite skilled at ignoring Shinou’s posturing these past months.

“So, once we coordinate with Gilbit’s men, we’ll identify an area to set up a camp. I’m thinking around here.” Wolfram points to a rocky and wooded area several hundred horse legs to the east of the facility. “However, there is the possibility these Plainsmen pay close attention to this area so that’s a temporary plan. After we set up camp, we’ll send in Amsel along with a former Plainsmen to scout out the facility.”

Wolfram motions to the blond man under Gwendal’s command. According to his brother, this man with gentle brown eyes is more suited for a support role than direct action, but Shinou can’t be trusted and the red hair of Gwendal’s other subordinate will stand out in human territory.

“You will find the location of the box, observe their patrols, and then report back to camp where we’ll formulate an extraction plan. Until then, there’s not much left to discuss besides travel arrangements.”

Shinou gives a low scoff, interrupting Wolfram’s thoughts.

“You have a problem?”

“That plan is embarrassingly inadequate, Wolfram.”

The redhead takes a step towards Shinou with unconcealed animosity. “You would do well to address your betters with the respect they deserve!”

Shinou remains unaffected and smiles insincerely. “My apologies. _His Excellency Lord von Bielefeld’s_ plan is… lacking complexity.”

“Why should I complicate things with more steps than necessary?”

“I’m not talking of more steps, I’m referring to your lack of theorizing and failure to create alternative plans. This information is over a month old and as Lady Gilbit has informed us, Small Shimaron is in disarray. Military facilities undergo much change during political upheaval.”

“Even so, our plan of action would remain the same. Send in someone to ascertain the exact location of the box, observe their security measures, and then find an opportunity to take the End of the Land out of there. There’s no need to plan past that at the moment.”

“I find that notion childish.”

The redheaded man speaks up again. “Who even are you? What unit did you come from?”

Wolfram makes no move to divert the soldiers’ attention, reveling in the momentary trouble Shinou has found himself in. If only he wasn’t so unflappable.

“I’m no one of importance, but His Majesty saw fit to allow me the honor of accompanying you all on this mission. I assure you; my number one priority is the recovery of the End of the Land.”

“Then what would _you_ do if you’re so smart?”

Shinou stands and makes his way over to the map.

“I would analyze the layout of the facility as pictured here and postulate what patrols _I_ would place where and when. Based on that, I would theorize where important objects would be stored which, personally, I believe would be either here or here.” He points to two different unmarked buildings on opposite ends of the main building fenced off from the rest of the facility. Wolfram doesn’t miss that it only took him the length of those two sentences to identify the buildings even though this is the first time he’s looked at the map.

“Then, I would call in these former Plainsmen to ask them for information on patrols, compare that to where I assumed they would be, and using my own thoughts on how I would organize this facility as a reference, I would be able to understand how these men’s minds work — strengths, weaknesses, values, hubris. From that point, finding the box will take only minutes and we wouldn’t even need to leave this room.”

“That’s an arrogant plan, Hahn,” Wolfram says. “You would be walking into this facility with nothing but assumptions.”

“Would I, though? Missions like this are my specialty. I’ve always had a knack for reading people.”

“The fact that you assume you always read people correctly is why you’re arrogant.”

“Have you seen me make a mistake so far?”

“25,” he says. Shinou’s face falters for the briefest of moments and Wolfram knows he understands Wolfram doesn’t mean 25 mistakes.

The 25th Maou. The man who chose to forsake his maryoku instead of remain in power.

“Ah yes, well, I never claimed to be infallible. After all, _Hahn Aldo_ is but a man, flawed as any.”

Wolfram takes the hint. He doubts anyone would ever guess Shinou’s true identity or even understand what’s really being discussed here, but weaponizing his identity to poke at him like this will only lead to trouble.

“However,” Shinou continues. “You must admit the only thing you have to lose by trying my method is time. Time, I may add, that you will waste anyway while waiting for morning.”

Wolfram takes a deep breath. He hates when Shinou is right about things. The only other things Wolfram plans to do tonight is bathe and sleep. After a tense moment of battling against his pride, he asks, “So where would you place patrols?”


End file.
